Book Recommendations - Minneapolis, MN

This is a great request, I will be writing down some of the suggestions too. I am head over heals for anything by Jennifer Weiner, some of her books are, Good in Bed, Goodnght Nobody, In her shoes... They are funny, touching, and just really nice to read. I also really enjoy Mauve Binchy, she is the author of Circle of friends,all of her stories keep you wrapped up in the story. I hope you find some great books, and thank you for asking, I get so caught up in asking kid questions on here.

Check out goodreads.com. It's an awesome site for getting book ideas and cataloguing your own books (to-read, reading, read). I use it, and so do several of the women in my book club. I'd be happy to add you to my "friends" link if you're interested and you can check out whate we're all reading!
S.

I'm going to start with saying that if there is a Goodwill near you, start there. The Goodwill in Elk River is just blocks from my home and I go there at least once a week just to get books. The selection is always changing and most of the books are $0.99 - $1.99. Hardcovers are less than $5.

I had to laugh when I saw the mention to Jennifer Weiner, as I had never heard of her until I picked up "Little Earthquakes" at my Goodwill. I highly recommend it.

I also highly recommend anything by Nora Roberts - I just started re-reading my NR books for the 6th time. I never get tired of them. My favorites are the Irish trilogy - "Jewels of the Sun", "Tears of the Moon" and "Heart of the Sea".

If you're into Highlanders or Time-Travel Romances you should check out Karen Marie Moning's Highlander collection which should be read in the following order -
"Beyond the Highland Mist", "To Tame a Highland Warrior",
"The Highlander's Touch", "Kiss of the Highlander",
"The Dark Highlander", "The Immortal Highlander",
"The Spell of The Highlander".

If you're into paranormal there is Christine Feehan - all of her books are good.

The Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella are good as is her "Can You Keep A Secret" and "Undomestic Goddess" and her books written as Madeleine Wickham.

Also, not something that you would generally think of but "Arthur and the Invisibles" is a much, much, much better book than it was a movie. Seeing as most of the book didn't make it into the movie. It had my daughter and I laughing until we cried when Arthurs parents were digging holes and falling in them - never even mentioned in the movie!

I could go on and on but it could take weeks!

I love Isabelle Allende's books. some of my favorites are
The House of Spirits,
Eva Luna
Portrait in Sepia

Also, Janet Finch is good "white Oleander" and "Paint it black"
I've been reading all of Oprah's book club books, there are a ton on her list from over the years. I love seeing the other responses! Red Tent is one of my all time faves, Oh I also love "The Mists of Avalon" I've heard "Water for Elephants" is good but I haven't read it yet, I'm waiting for it from the library. Barbara Kingsolver is also a great, my fave is "Prodigal Summer"
Happy reading !

Wow S.--what a great request! I don't know your preferences, but here are a few of my fiction and nonfiction reads:

Fiction:
The Green Mile (Stephen King)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
Peace Like a River (Leif Enger)
A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
I Know this Much is True (Wally Lamb)
Most of Barbara Kingsolver's books

Nonfiction:
On Writing (Stephen King)
Traveling Mercies (Anne Lamott)
The Omnivores Dilemma (michael pollen--will change the way you think about food!)
Any of the PostSecret Books

I gladly give up hours of sleep to read a good book. Good luck with your quest!

C. in North Dakota

Hi S.,
I love to read too. Here are some of my favorites--sorry i don't remember all the authors off the top of my head!
The Glass Castle--Jeannette Wells
The Other Bolyen Girl--Phillippa Gregory
The Red Tent
Pope Joan
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
East of Eden--John Steinbeck

Enjoy!
L.

Hey there S. ... what a refreshing request. One that I'm reading is entitled Ask and It Is Given ... by Abraham-Hicks. It's not fiction but an interesting discourse on our personal and spiritual direction.

Would love to talk to you about it if you pick it up ... I found it on Amazon for considerable saving. You will treasure it I believe... I don't know anyone who doesn't.

Have fun - be your best,

Margie

I am intrigued by the Amish life so I have enjoyed all of the books (fictional) written by Beverly Lewis. There is a series of them so be sure to start from the begining. Happy Reading!

I love to read also. I like anything from Debbie Macomber and currently I am reading The Mitford Series from Jan Karon. Another fun thing I like to do is if we are traveling anywhere, even if it is a day road trip, I look for books from local authors. There are a lot of one book authors out there that are pretty good. Happy Reading!!

Give me more information about the type of things you like to read. Fiction is a pretty big area. What was the last book that you absolutely "loved"?

Hi S.:
I am also a big reader and MUST read daily. Some of my favorites include:

Fiction:
The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell) - I usually don't "do" Sci Fi, but this is intelligent and an excellent read

Children of God (Mary Doria Russell) sequel to The Sparrow
A Thread of Grace (M D Russell)
Memoirs of a Geisha (R Golden) - It's fictional and good!
Prince of Peace (my husband's recommendation) (James Carroll)
Anything by Maeve Binchey
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) Excellent!!!
Anything by Alexander McCall Smith (He has several series)
Snow Flower and the Fan (don't remember author)
The Kitchen God's Wife (Amy Tan)
The Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan)

Non Fiction:
The Road Less Traveled (M. Scott Peck) my husband's pick
The Secret
Lost Daughters of China (have a box of tissues ready)
Man's Search for Meaning (Frankl)

I could go on and on! I can't wait to see the responses to this question!

S. W

Hi Lori,
I to love to read. My favorite authors are, they write mostly
historical fiction/clean romance.
I've read many of there books.
Lori Wick
Beverly Lewis
Tracey Peterson
Gilbert Morris
Francine Rivers

V. A

I saw that one of the other moms recommended Wally Lamb. His books are amazing. I have read them each twice and each time you just get so sucked in. I am always checking at the library and book stores to see if he wrote anymore (sadly, he has not). The most powerful books! I loved "she's come undone". Memorable and moving, couldn't put it down. It's a long book, but I was so bummed when it was over, I could have read it for weeks to come.He is really worth checking out!